The Puerto Rican quartet known as All That I Bleed owes its sound to a diverse list of influences which include Rush (the intro, "Chaos Theory" will remind one of "XYZ"), Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Metallica, at least on the metal side, but you'll also think of Evergrey (vocalist Leonardo Rivera sounds a bit like Tom Englund), Vanden Plas (the prominance at times of guest Antonio Exposito's keyboards, especially during the title track), and Enchant. This latter reference comes to the fore in the second and third tracks, "I Stand Alone" and "Gods." Smoothly sung choruses with an expansive feel -- and here, Rivera sounds like Ted Leonard, too). The drums and percussion of Carlos De Jesus are also prominent in the mix. And during the instrumental interlude of "Dying To Remember," so, too, a tasty bass line from Jorge C Venegas.

What stood out for me, other than these things above, was how open the production is -- every instrument can be heard when it needs to be, though maybe sometimes the jangly snicks of De Jesus' cymbals might be a little too up in the mix. Another thing you will notice, as "I Stand Alone" begins, is that All That I Bleed aren't a standard metal band, or hard rock band, as there are elements of fusion in their mix. They, themselves, namecheck Mahavishnu Orchestra in their online bio. Even if that comparison doesn't come to mind, you know that you're hearing something more complex than a galloping double-bass. Used sparingly, for effect, is fine, but a band that relies on that for the only means of driving a piece forward... well, thankfully, as I said, we don't get that here. Here's a band with chops, and chops they want to share with an audience. Oscar Quintana's style of guitar playing owes a lot to Dream Theater's John Petrucci - that mix of crunch and cascades of notes.

The centerpiece of the album is "Promise Of Life," a multipart suite that travels all over the sonic territory that All That I Bleed traverse - jazzy, power metal, hard prog... in fact, in the final segment, "Dear Ears That Turn Away," they go from a Metallica-like passages into something that made me think of Pain Of Salvation. And maybe this last is the most apt comparison, as POS use a wide palette as well. There are so many wonderful moments here and throughout the album, they really do overshadow the little nitpicks.

As for the nits, I don't disagree with anything that LarryD wrote in his review -- a little more bottom end in the mix will make it a much fuller sounding release. As a debut, Dying To Remember is very good, but there's a little tightening that needs to happen both in their playing and in the arrangements. But just a little. A couple of turns of the crank should do just fine, as you don't want this too tight. A loose feel serves them well, as it gives their sound, even on the heavy, crunchy aspects of "Gods," an effortless feel. This is a band who can only get better with their next release.